A Maltese Tour Guide traces a 400-year-old bronze cannon from London to the Mediterranean and back again — revealing the deep and often overlooked bond between Malta and Britain.
When Maltese Themed Tours cultural guide Giacomo Muscat travelled to London in April 2025, he wasn’t there for a short break from Malta’s limestone and tour guiding.
Instead, he found himself standing in front of a bronze cannon that had travelled farther, survived longer, and witnessed more regime changes than most European dynasties as part of his ongoing research into the Knights of St John early period.
The Cannon’s journey stretched from Clerkenwell to Tripoli, to Malta, to Cyprus, and finally back to London — a four-century odyssey that quietly reveals Malta and Britain’s shared history long before red post boxes or Royal Navy dockyards appeared on the island.
Today, the cannon rests inside the Museum of the Order of St John in London. Yet its story reaches far beyond the walls of the museum, uncovering one of the most overlooked chapters of British history in Malta and the Mediterranean.
Most Britons recognise the Knights Templar. Far fewer know their equally influential counterparts, the Knights of St John, (the Hospitallers) later known as the Knights of Malta — a Holy Order and a remnant of the crusades who transformed Malta into one of the most heavily fortified islands in Europe and laid the foundations for many of the island’s most compelling historical sites.
So compelling is the piece of history that Giacomo documented the entire story in a 24-minute mini-documentary, filmed on location in London and Malta. This video explores the cannon’s extraordinary journey, the politics behind it, and the forgotten Anglo-Maltese connection it represents.
(You can watch the full mini-documentary click HERE or scroll till the very bottom of the article )
1. Act I — Clerkenwell and the English Knights
Modern Clerkenwell is a wonderful spot, known for cafés, studios, and conversations about coffee beans conducted with alarming seriousness. In the Middle Ages, however, it was the powerful English headquarters of the Knights of St John.
The Flag of the Knights proudly hoisted at the top of St John’s Gate still marks the spot, a quiet reminder that England once played a central role in the Order’s fortunes. English knights rose to prominence, wielding wealth, land, and political influence. One of them, Fra Robert Hales, became the King’s Treasurer — until the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 ended both his career and the Priory of Clerkenwell itself in fire and blood.
It was an early lesson in how closely religion, power, and politics were intertwined — and how fragile that balance could be.
The presence of the Knights of St John in Malta , losing the island to Napoleon Bonaparte would later lead to the most significant chapters in this shared Anglo-Mediterranean legacy, a story that began not on a sun-drenched island, but on English soil and here is a British link to Malta’s history.
2. Act II — Henry VIII and a Dangerous Bargain
By the 16th century, the Order faced catastrophe. After losing Rhodes to the Ottoman Empire in 1522, the Knights were homeless, weakened, and politically exposed.
In England, Henry VIII ruled — charismatic, volatile, and deeply suspicious of institutions beyond his control. When tensions rose between the Crown and the English Knights, there were real fears the Order would lose its English lands altogether or be reduced to little more than royal infantry.
Enter Grand Master Philippe Villiers de L’Isle-Adam — a veteran of siege warfare ( Fresh after Rhodes) and an unexpectedly skilled diplomat. He travelled to London and negotiated directly with Henry, managing to preserve the English Knights and secure a promise of 20,000 ducats to help the Order rebuild.
The money never arrived.
Instead, Henry sent nineteen bronze cannons, cast in England and shipped from London. One of them would embark on a journey that physically bound Malta and Britain’s shared history together
3. Act III — A Cannon’s Journey Across Empires
Henry VIII’s cannons were first sent to Syracuse, then to Malta, where the Knights were establishing their new base. Accepting Malta, however, came with a dangerous condition: they were also required to take Tripoli, an exposed outpost deep in Ottoman territory.
Several of Henry’s cannons were installed there.
When Tripoli fell to the Ottomans in 1551, the artillery was seized and reused. One cannon later resurfaced during the siege of Famagusta in Cyprus in 1571, before sinking into the harbour mud — lost as empires rose and fell around it.
In 1906, British dredging works uncovered an extraordinary find: a bronze cannon bearing the coats of arms of Henry VIII and L’Isle-Adam.
After more than four centuries, it returned to London — a tangible artefact linking British history in Malta, the Mediterranean, and England itself.
Today, it stands quietly inside the Musuem of the Order of St.John by St. John’s Gate, to be admired by visitors who often have no idea how far its story reaches.
Why This Story Still Matters
For British travellers, this is not abstract history. It is a living chapter of British history in Malta, visible in fortifications, institutions, and stories that still shape the island today.
For centuries, British ships docked in Malta. British governors ruled it. Maltese soldiers served the Crown. In return, Malta became the Empire’s “unsinkable fortress.”
This cannon’s journey encapsulates that relationship: cooperation, conflict, collapse, and renewal — a reminder that European history has always been shared, contested, and interconnected.
A Story That Lives On
Today, the Order of St John still exists and continues its humanitarian mission through St John Ambulance, whose headquarters still stand beside the historic gate in Clerkenwell.
Meanwhile in Malta, Giacomo Muscat continues to guide visitors through the stories of the Knights who once ruled the island — men such as L’Isle-Adam, Weston, and De Valette — bringing this shared heritage to life through Malta themed historical tours that connect past and present.
For UK readers looking for meaningful things to do in Malta for UK visitors, uncovering these shared stories offers a deeper way to experience the island beyond beaches and sunshine.
And for British travellers planning a visit to Malta — or Maltese visitors exploring London — the message is simple:
The story of the Knights is not only Malta’s heritage.
It is Britain’s too.
You can still stand in both places — beneath St John’s Gate in Clerkenwell and among the bastions of Valletta — and feel the same history echo across two islands, bound by centuries of shared experience.
Why You Should Care (And Visit)
If you’re passing through London, the Museum of the Order of St John is an absolute must-visit — especially if you’re planning to visit Malta or returning back from a trip to Malta
Not only will you find the whole History of the Order of St John but:
• the actual Malta–Tripoli cannon
• UK-Knights of St.John History
• a truly incredible and rare bust of Jean Parisot de Valette made of silver and
gilt bronze, attributed to the Florentine sculptor Giovanni Bandini believed to have been
commissioned to commemorate Valette’s defence of Malta against the Ottomans in 1565 Great Siege of Malta
…You’ll get to see Malta’s past embedded in one of the world’s biggest and most famous cities. When in London, visit the Museum of the Order of St John.
We would also like to thank the very friendly and helpful charismatic team at The Museum of the Order of St.John for letting us film
Dive into Valletta with a Maltese guide who can navigate the Knights, the British, and the occasional scandal — all before lunch.
If you want a tour that goes beyond the “here’s a nice building” routine, join our award-winning experiences, where UK visitors discover:
• Why Valletta owes more to British naval strategy than you think
• How the Knights left secret traces across London
• And how these two islands shaped each other more than anyone realises
British history… Maltese flair… unforgettable stories at our award winning tours?
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